I Promise
by Authors Note1
Summary: A certain bubbly girl found strength because her father always promised that he would return for her. When all hope is lost, she finds herself hallow and is left to smile only on the outside. After all, he did promise... Sad, but with empowerment.


I'm not new here. I changed my name due to random reasons. I'm nobody special; don't worry. I'm going to try at something angst…y. Hope you like.

Wind tapped at my bedroom window frightening me. I made a slight gasp and cursed my jumpiness. I continued laying in bed and staring at the wall and brooding in my own thoughts.

I closed my eyes and felt the room become warm. Too warm. It was only early spring and the gentle storm outside was a constant reminder. Summer… As much as people loved summer, I would dread it the most. It reminds me of the day he left. _Why did you leave_?

People can relate to my feelings of hollowness. It would be selfish if I wollowed in self-pity. But, I keep myself strong. I keep myself going everyday. Even if I have to lie to my family, friends, and myself. I've always been the 'happy-go-lucky' innocent child. Always perky, happy, and terribly naïve. But, I'm really not. I'm just sad, cold, and pathetic.

It becomes natural after awhile. Out of worry, my brother and I pretend that everything is okay. We told her that when he came back, everything would work out. She would be healthy again, and my brother and I would have a father.

Let me start from the beginning…

"_Poppy… Can you make mommy some herbal tea? She's not feeling well?" A man asked. He had short cut messy hair that cold be taken as red or blonde. His youthful face has been aged slightly with stress and worry._

"_Daaad… Mom is always sick! When is she going to get better?" I scold him. My wavy pink hair flies over my back as I pout. I had to be about nine…._

"_Popuri… Just do as I ask, okay?" My father said softly but with sternness in his tone._

"_Okay…" I say and run to the kitchen._

"_Dad?" A young boy walks in and calls as my father rubbed his temples._

"_Yes?" He asks his son, my brother._

_  
"Mr. Basil wants to talk to you…" My brother, Rick, says. He adjusts his big framed glasses and mutters about how annoying they are. I giggle and tease him from the kitchen._

"_Basil?" My father called out for his friend…_

_The rest of the story I don't know. I finished boiling the tea and I brought it to my mother._

"_Thank you Popuri. You are angle." She coos._

"_She wasn't when she made poor Gray cry today!" Rick taughnts._

"_That was 'cause he was mean to Mary! If he was as tough as he tries to be, he would have clobbered me!" I said childishly._

"_That's 'cause you're a girl! No one hits a girl! Girls are weird." Rick said._

"_Then what about Karen?" I asked._

"… _She's my friend… Leave me alone!" Rick says._

"_Rick and Karen sitting in a tree-!" I was cut off._

"_Children! Please!" Mother says loudly._

"_Sorry, ma." We both mutter._

"_Lilla… Can we talk for a moment."? My father walks into her room, his face pale._

"_What is it?" She asks._

"_Just come." He demands, something he never did._

"_Children, it's late. Please go to sleep." My mother said in such a voice that it made my heart hurt. Rick and I did our nightly routines, and went to bed._

_The next morning, my father woke us up early._

"_Kids… I have something to tell you." He started as Rick and I listened tiredly._

"_As you know, your mother is very, very ill… and Mr. Basil believes in a cure." He said in a monotone voice._

"_Really?" I ask hopefully. Rick seems to tense up._

"_What is it?" He asks cautiously._

"… _A rare type of flower that has been only a myth before… but there is a chance that it exists…" He stalled._

"_Where is it?" I asked._

"_The other side of the world."_

And that's where my childhood ended.

_After tears have been shed along with bewilderment, I had to ask._

"_How long will it take to get it?" He kneeled down to my size and pat my shoulder._

"_I don't know Poppy… I don't know… but I will be back soon! I promise." He gave me a kiss on the cheek._

"_What if you don't go? What if you stayed and helped mom from home?" Rick asked, his face pale._

"…" _My father looked down and my mother and back at Rick._

_  
"I-I can't take that risk…" He says softly._

"_It's a risk to go!" Rick said angry._

"… _Son… Trust me. Basil was my childhood friend. He knows what he's talking about. He promised me it exists, so I will count on him." He says. He gave Rick a handshake, which turned into a hug. "Take care of them for me. Make sure you keep all of the boys away from your mom and little Poppy." He teases._

"… _Promise me, you'll come back dad." Rick says staring into his eyes._

"_I promise."_

I can only smile bitterly as I listen to the rain patter against my window.

_Might as well…_

I walked slowly and softly out of my house, as I out on a raincoat. No one heard me in the middle of the night escaping my room. I don't know why I left at that moment. Girls with common sense would stay in bed and drift off to sleep. Girls like me… Do whatever the hell they feel like.

I am now slowly walking around the small town I live in and sit beneath a tree. It covers me slightly from the freezing rain.

"Hey! You!" A voice calls from out of the rain. I turn around startled. I must have nodded off. The storm still held strong, but I can see a man's silhouette in the distance, trying to get my attention.

"Y- Yeah?" I call out a little frightened. I was at the beach and a stranger just came off of a boat in a small town no ones ever heard of… So, yeah, nervous fit my emotions.

"It's freezing! Can you show me to the Hotel?" He asked his voice muffled by the wind. I noticed, as he walked closer, he was about my age, maybe a little older. I felt I could trust him some how. Maybe it was the wind, or the letter in my pocket, but I felt comfortable around this stranger, so I smiled and showed him to the local Inn.

After and short sprint, we arrived and was soaking wet.

"Hello? Ann? Doug? I called out for the owner and his daughter.

"Ugh. I probably look like a drowned rat." The stranger said after he heard the two people in question ran down the stairs.

"So do I. I was out there longer." I joked.

"Why were you out there? It was coming down like no tomorrow!" He asked.

He raised an eyebrow as he took off his purple bandanna off his head.

"Just wanted to clear my thoughts… I know, weird right?" I ask nervously.

"Nah. I've done worse." I didn't know if he said that to make me feel better, or because he cared. Either way, I liked it.

"What's going on?" Ann asks rubbing her eyes.

"New comer needs a room." I said pointing at the attractive young man next to me.

"Oh… Sorry, I'm just a little tired. Let me go wake up my dad so he can check you in. He sleeps like a log." Ann rolls her eyes and gives me a wink. "Hey Po. Haven't seen you in forever come down every now and then." She waved and then left.

"Po?" He asks.

"Pet name. I'm sorry. I'm Popuri. I work at the flower shop with my mother and brother and… I'm rambling." I giggled as he chuckled.

"It's cool. I'm Kai… I'm going to open a seaside diner. You should totally come! I need a cute regular anyways." He says smoothly.

"Maybe when it's not pouring." I say.

"Oh. I would have pegged you for a rain lover." He says chuckling.

"I think I Just pegged you as a sly smooth taker." I tease back.

"Quick witted, eh? The cute one's usually aren't." I smile despite myself. I'm not a bookworm like Mary, or street smart like Karen, but I always had the good sense of humor and an intelligent light. Don't let my girlish looks fool you.

"Never heard that one before. I'll see you around… Kai." I said staring into his warm chocolate colored eyes.

"I'll count on it… Popuri. Sweet dreams." I smile at him and I leave.

Maybe summer isn't as bad as I thought…

I look at the letter in my pocket as I walk home. The rain has stopped and the clouds clear over.

_My dear family,_

_I haven't found the cure yet and I'm starting to lose all hope. I am so sorry. Young Rick was right. I should have stayed and helped from home as much as I could. Instead I missed ten years of my children's lives, and I miss all of you so very much. My dear wife… I am so sorry I failed you. But, I still love you, as selfish as it sounds…_

_Todd_

When I received the letter, it wasn't addressed to mom or to Rick, so I opened it. I got it a few days ago and decided when the best time was to tell them. I stare into the moonlight night and whisper… _'Don't give up Dad. You promised.'_

A/N :Quick, lighthearted read. A little angst, a little friendship, a little budding romance, and a whole lot of fluff. Hope you enjoyed. _When it is written like this, it was the past._ Just Fyi. That, and this is how I imagined Popuri to feel after her father left her.


End file.
